Play apparatus including a movable striking surface

ABSTRACT

Handheld play apparatus for use with a playing piece such as a ball. A receptacle with an opening for entry of the piece is fixedly attached to a handheld framework. A striking surface for striking the piece is movably suspended from the framework partially covering the opening of the fixed receptacle to provide a variable target area and a variable position of the striking surface. The striking surface has a central aperture opening into a second receptacle to provide a second movable target area. The playing piece may be placed in a recess on the striking surface. The framework is set in motion to impart motion to the playing piece. Points may be scored by catching the playing piece in either of the receptacles.

United States Patent Inventor William E. Witting 4218 North Darnen Ave.,Chicago, 111. 60618 Appl. No. 9,212 *7 Filed Feb. 6, 1970 Patented Oct.12, 1971 v PLAY APPARATUS INCLUDING A MOVABLE STRIKING SURFACE 10Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 273/96 R, I 273/105 A Int. Cl A631) 67/00 Field Of Search 273/96,97, 98

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1909 Hartnell 273/96 PrimaryExaminer-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-Marvin SiskindAttorney-Anderson, Luedeka, Fitch, Even and Tabin ABSTRACT: Handheldplay apparatus for use with a playing piece such as a ball. A receptaclewith an opening for entry of the piece is fixedly attached to a handheldframework. A striking surface for striking the piece is movablysuspended from the framework partially covering the opening of the fixedreceptacle to provide a variable target area and a variable position ofthe striking surface. The striking surface has a central apertureopening into a second receptacle to provide a second movable targetarea. The playing piece may be placed in a recess on the strikingsurface. The framework is set in motion to impart motion to the playingpiece. Points may be scored by catching the playing piece in either ofthe receptacles.

PATENTEDHET 12 Ian 3,612,529

lNveuTOR- Mu/wf Mfr/ma PLAY APPARATUS INCLUDING A MOVABLE STRIKINGSURFACE This invention relates generally to play apparatus and, moreparticularly, to hand held apparatus to be used in playing with a ballor other playing piece.

' An important object of the invention is to provide play apparatuswhich contributes to muscular and visual coordination and increasesdexterity.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus for use with aplaying piece which may function as a toy for individual amusement or ina competitive game.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive handheld playing apparatus which is safe in operation, easily constructedand provides a plurality of targets.

Still another object of the invention is to provide play apparatus inwhich components thereof move relative to one another in such a manneras to require skillful control to strike and catch the playing piece..'I

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following description and the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of apparatus embodying various features ofthe invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and IFIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views of the apparatus taken alongline A-A of FIG. 3 showing the trapping and removal of the playingpiece.

Very generally, as shown in the drawings, play apparatus 10 is providedfor use with a ball or other playing piece 11 which includes a framework12 with a handle 14 by which the apparatus is grasped and manipulatedand a ball or playing piece receptacle 16 which is fixedly attached tothe framework 12 and has an opening 18 through which the playing pieceor ball 11 may enter the receptacle. A striking surface 20 is providedwhich is movably suspended from the framework 12 and partial ly coversthe target opening 18 of the fixed receptacle 16. I Since the strikingsurface 20 and the framework 12 are movable relative to one another,movement of the framework ordinarily causes movement of the strikingsurface 20 which is different in velocity and direction from that of theframework 12. This causes the position of the striking surface 20 tovary relative to the framework 12 and makes it difiicult to strike aplaying piece 11 in a desired manner. Concomitantly the portion of thetarget opening 18 of the receptacle 16 is not covered by the strikingsurface 20, which constitutes a target area through which the piece canenter the fixed receptacle 16, is variable in shape and positionrelation to the framework 12. This makes it difficult for a player tocatch a playing piece in the air with the fixed receptacle.

As a further feature a movable receptacle 22 is movably suspended fromthe framework with a target opening or area 24 through which the piecemay enter the fixed receptacle. The movement of this target opening 24relative to the framework 12 makes it difficult for a player to catch aplaying piece in the air with the movable receptacle 22.

More specifically, the illustrated apparatus includes the framework 12in the form of a circular ring or rim 26 made of a suitable hardplastic, wood or light metal such as aluminum. The rim is provided withan outwardly extending handle 14 by which the apparatus is grasped andmanipulated and which may, if desired, be shaped to conform to that of aclosed hand.

Fixedly attached to the framework 12 is the fixed receptacle 16 in thefonn of a net or basket 28 with the edge of its upper open end attachedto the rim thus providing an opening 18 through which a ball or otherplaying piece can enter the basket. The basket as illustrated isrelatively rigid, being made of interwoven spaced strands of materialsuch as wire or plastic. As illustrated, the side of the basket tapersinwardly and downwardly at an angle of about 48 to 52 with the plane ofthe rim so that a playing piece entering the basket will descend intothe basket rather than immediately bouncing out as might be the case ifthe angle were smaller. The lower end of the basket is provided with anopen trapping area 30 which is so sized relative to the playing piece 11as to engage and trap the playing piece if it descends to the bottom ofthe basket, as shown in FIG. 4.

Optionally, the basket could be closed at its lower end. However, theopen trapping area 30 not only aids in holding a moving piece whichmight fly out of the basket due to its entering momentum but alsofacilitates removal of the piece which has been caught in the basket byupward force exerted on the piece through the open area 30. Alsooptionally, the playing piece could be attached to the bottom of thebasket by an elastic string.

The striking surface 20 for striking orbouncing the playing piece 11, asillustrated, is in the form of an annular disk 32 of wood, plastic orother hard material providing a centrally located target opening or area24 through which the playing piece 11 can pass. The disk 32 is movablysuspended from the rim 26 by elastic members 34 in the form ofstretchable cloth tapes with rubber centers. Other spring members suchas metallic springs could be used; however,,for safety, cloth tapes arepreferred which can do little damage if breaking thereof occurs. Asillustrated four such tapes arepositioned symmetrically around the disk,although other arrangements and numbers of tapes could be used. The disk32 is also provided with a recess 36 in its upper surface in which theball or playing piece can rest before play is begun by bouncing thepiece on the disk. The outer diameter of the disk 32 relative to that ofthe rim 26 is such that a reasonable possibility of a moving pieceentering the basket exists and such thata player must tip the disk to beable to reach into the basket 28 and remove a piece trapped therein, asshown in FIG. 5.

Extending downwardly from the target opening in the disk 32 is atruncated conically shaped tube 38 forming the movable receptacle whichtapers inwardly to a cross-sectional area such as to engage and trap aplaying piece 11 which enters the target opening 24 in the movable diskas shown in FIG. 6. The lower end of the tube may be closed, butpreferably is open so that a trapped playing piece may easily bereleased by upward force exerted on the piece, as by a pencil insertedthrough the lower opening 30 of the basket.

The tube 38 extends downward into the basket 28 such a distance and withsuch a diameter at its lower end or rim that a playing piece enteringthe basket 28 must displace the tube slightly from its normal centralposition to reach the trapping area 30. This requires an upward force tobe exerted on the framework and basket after the piece enters the basketto cause the piece to displace the tube. Concomitantly once the piecehas passed the lower end of the tube it cannot rebound out of thetrapping area without hitting the tube thus providing an additionaltrapping effect in the piece in addition to that provided by thetrapping area.

In a specific embodiment of the apparatus an elastic ball employed asthe playing piece 11 measures 1% inch in diameter. The outer diameter ofthe disk 32 is 5 inches and the diameter of the framework is 9 inches toprovide about a 2 inch clearance for entry of the ball into the basket.The open trapping area 30 measures 1 inch in diameter so as to preventthe ball from passing through the area after it enters the basket. Theangle between the plane of the rim and the side of the basket is 50 sothat the ball upon entering the basket is sure to travel downward towardthe open trapping area. The bottom of the conical tube 38 extendsdownwardly into the basket so that its lower rim is between l-l/l6 inchand 1-3/32 inch from the nearest sidewall point of the basket. Theserelative dimensions make necessary the application of upward force onthe framework by the player after the ball enters the basket to insurethe ball reaches the trapping area. At the same time if the ball istrapped in the trapping area, it is impossible for it to rebound out ofthe basket, since such motion will be prevented by engagement with thelower rim of the conical tube.

In operation, play ordinarily begins by placing the ball or playingpiece in the recess 36 on the disk 32 with the rim 16 held horizontallyand the disk held stationary. The handle 14 is moved vertically to startthe playing piece 11 bouncing on the disk. Points are scored by catchingthe piece in the air, either in the tube 38 or the basket 28, the fonnerbeing more difficult due to the smaller target area of the tube. Pointsare deducted if the piece merely rolls off the disk or is missedentirely.

It may be seen that a play apparatus is thus provided which developsmuscular and visual coordination, and also provides unexpected resultsin play, yet is inexpensive and simple to construct. Various changes andmodifications could be made in the apparatus without departing from theinvention, features of which are set forth in the accompanying claims.

What I claim is:

l. A hand held play apparatus for use with a playing piece, comprising aframework with a handle, a receptacle with an opening for entry of theplaying piece thereinto fixedly attached to said framework, a strikingsurface for striking the playing piece movably suspended from saidframework and partially covering the opening of said fixed receptacle sothat the motion of the opening of said fixed receptacle caused bymovement of the framework differs from the concomitant motion of saidstriking surface, and a receptacle movably suspended from said frameworkto provide a target opening for entry of the playing piece into saidmovable receptacle which is variable in position relative to saidframework.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 including spring membersattaching said striking surface to said framework.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said fixed receptacleincludes means for trapping the playing piece therein after it hasentered the receptacle.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said movable receptacleis attached to said striking surface.

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said striking surfacecomprises a generally annular platform with an inner wall defining thetarget opening of said movable receptacle.

6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein both of said receptaclesare tapered and said movable receptacle extends into said fixedreceptacle terminating in a lower end of such size and at such adistance from the bottom of said fixed receptacle that movement of saidmovable receptacle is required for the playing piece to reach the bottomof said fixed receptacle and to be removed from the bottom of said fixedreceptacle so that said movable receptacle and said fixed receptaclecooperate to trap the playing piece.

7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said movable receptacleincludes means for trapping the playing piece therein.

8. A hand held play apparatus for use with a playing piece, comprising aframework with a handle, a receptacle with an opening for entry of theplaying piece thereinto fixedly attached to said framework, a strikingsurface for striking the playing piece movably suspended from saidframework and partially covering the opening of said fixed receptacle sothat the motion of the opening of said fixed receptacle caused bymovement of the framework differs from the concomitant motion of saidstriking surface, and a recess in said striking surface for retainingthe playing piece before beginning play.

9. Hand held play apparatus for use with a playing piece comprising aring with a handle extending outwardly therefrom, a net with a largeopening at one end thereof for entry of the playing piece thereinto anda small opening at the other end thereof adapted to engage and trap theplaying piece, said net being affixed to said ring around said largeopening, an annular striking surface defining a target opening throughwhich the playing piece can pass, a truncated conically shaped tube openat both ends, extending from said opening in said striking surface intosaid net and tapering to a cross-sectional area such as to engage andtrap the playing piece after entry therein, s rings movably sus endingsaid striking surface and tube wit in said ring so that e motion of saidstriking surface and target opening therein differs from the motion ofsaid large opening in said net, to provide a variable position of saidstriking surface and opening therein relative to said ring and avariable target area for said net through which the playing piece mayenter therein.

10. Apparatus in accordance with claim 9 wherein the outer diameter ofsaid striking surface relative to the diameter of said ring is such thatthe surface may be moved to provide room for entry of a player's hand toremove the playing piece from the net.

1. A hand held play apparatus for use with a playing piece, comprising aframework with a handle, a receptacle with an opening for entry of theplaying piece thereinto fixedly attached to said framework, a strikingsurface for striking the playing piece movably suspended from saidframework and partially covering the opening of said fixed receptacle sothat the motion of the opening of said fixed receptacle caused bymovement of the framework differs from the concomitant motion of saidstriking surface, and a receptacle movably suspended from said frameworkto provide a target opening for entry of the playing piece into saidmovable receptacle which is variable in position relative to saidframework.
 2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 including springmembers attaching said striking surface to said framework.
 3. Apparatusin accordance with claim 1 wherein said fixed receptacle includes meansfor trapping the playing piece therein after it has entered thereceptacle.
 4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said movablereceptacle is attached to said striking surface.
 5. Apparatus inaccordance with claim 1 wherein said striking surface comprises agenerally annular platform with an inner wall defining the targetopening of said movable receptacle.
 6. Apparatus in accordance withclaim 1 wherein both of said receptacles are tapered and said movablereceptacle extends into said fixed receptacle terminating in a lower endof such size and at such a distance from the bottom of said fixedreceptacle that movement of said movabLe receptacle is required for theplaying piece to reach the bottom of said fixed receptacle and to beremoved from the bottom of said fixed receptacle so that said movablereceptacle and said fixed receptacle cooperate to trap the playingpiece.
 7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said movablereceptacle includes means for trapping the playing piece therein.
 8. Ahand held play apparatus for use with a playing piece, comprising aframework with a handle, a receptacle with an opening for entry of theplaying piece thereinto fixedly attached to said framework, a strikingsurface for striking the playing piece movably suspended from saidframework and partially covering the opening of said fixed receptacle sothat the motion of the opening of said fixed receptacle caused bymovement of the framework differs from the concomitant motion of saidstriking surface, and a recess in said striking surface for retainingthe playing piece before beginning play.
 9. Hand held play apparatus foruse with a playing piece comprising a ring with a handle extendingoutwardly therefrom, a net with a large opening at one end thereof forentry of the playing piece thereinto and a small opening at the otherend thereof adapted to engage and trap the playing piece, said net beingaffixed to said ring around said large opening, an annular strikingsurface defining a target opening through which the playing piece canpass, a truncated conically shaped tube open at both ends, extendingfrom said opening in said striking surface into said net and tapering toa cross-sectional area such as to engage and trap the playing pieceafter entry therein, springs movably suspending said striking surfaceand tube within said ring so that the motion of said striking surfaceand target opening therein differs from the motion of said large openingin said net, to provide a variable position of said striking surface andopening therein relative to said ring and a variable target area forsaid net through which the playing piece may enter therein. 10.Apparatus in accordance with claim 9 wherein the outer diameter of saidstriking surface relative to the diameter of said ring is such that thesurface may be moved to provide room for entry of a player''s hand toremove the playing piece from the net.